IP data transmission network using a route selection based on level 4/5 protocol information

• US 6,950,429 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Le Pennec, Jean-Francois, Fieschi, Jacques, Michel, Patrick, Benayoun, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US09/838,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20020001313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/395.1, 370/474, 370/232, 370/389, 370/317, 370/229, 370/400, 370/401, 370/237, 370/238, 370/235, 370/338, 370/328, 370/469, 370/397, 370352-356, 370/230, 379/220, 379/242, 379/88.17, 706/47, 706/226, 706/219, 706/224, 706238-242, 706/250, 709238-242
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching

Abstract

Data transmission system for transmitting packets of data from a source workstation (10) to a destination workstation (18) wherein the packets of data are transmitted over at least an IP network (14) between an ingress node (16) connected to the source workstation and an egress node (20) connected to the destination workstation, wherein each router within the intermediary nodes along the data path from the ingress node to the egress node determines the best route in a routing table defined by the contents of a field contained in each packet of data being received. For this, the router of the ingress node comprises a configuration table which defines the contents of the TOS field in function of information associated with the 4/5 level protocol such as TCP or UDP.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a routing table for each of a plurality of different transport layer protocols used in data packet transmission, wherein each of the different transport layer protocols is associated with a specific routing table, and wherein the different transport layer protocols are selected from a group that includes a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and wherein each routing table associates one of the different transport layer protocols with a plurality of port numbers;

examining a header of a data packet in a lower layer to identify a transport layer protocol and a port number used by the data packet;

routing the data packet in said lower layer according to a nodal pathway described by one of the routing tables according to the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet; and

in response to none of the routing tables containing a nodal pathway for the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet, routing the data packet in said lower layer a pre-defined default nodal pathway.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to finding an entry in the routing table that matches the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet, replacing Type of Service (TOS) bits in the data packet with TOS bits listed in the routing table as being associated with a specific transport layer protocol and port number, wherein the TOS bits characterize a desired transmission parameter for the data packet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the desired transmission parameter is selected from one or more of a group that includes propagation time, throughput and reliability of transmission of the data packet.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in response to none of the routing tables containing a nodal pathway for the transport layer protocol and port number used by the data packet, setting all of the TOS bits to a default value.

5. The method of claim 1, farther comprising:

identifying an application that is using the data packet; and

associating the application with one of the different transport layer protocols.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the application is for a voice flow, and wherein the application uses UDP plus a Real Time Protocol (RTP) for the voice flow.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the application is for a data flow, and wherein the application uses TCP plus File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for the data flow.

8. A router comprising:

logic for defining a routing table for each of a plurality of different transport layer protocols used in data packet transmission, wherein each of the different transport layer protocols is associated with a specific routing table, and wherein the different transport layer protocols are selected from a group that includes a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and wherein each routing table associates one of the different transport layer protocols with a plurality of port numbers;

logic in a lower layer for identifying a transport layer protocol and a port number used by a data packet;

logic for routing the data packet in said lower layer according to a nodal pathway described by one of the routing tables according to the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet; and

logic for, in response to none of the routing tables containing a nodal pathway for the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet, routing the data packet in said lower layer via a pre-defined default nodal pathway.

9. The router of claim 8, further comprising:

logic for, in response to finding an entry in the routing table that matches the transport layer protocol and the port number used by the data packet, replacing Type of Service (TOS) bits in the data packet with TOS bits listed in the routing table as being associated with a specific transport layer protocol and port number, wherein the TOS bits characterize a desired transmission parameter for the data packet.

10. The router of claim 9, wherein the desired transmission parameter is selected from one or more of a group that includes propagation time, throughput and reliability of transmission of the data packet.

11. The router of claim 10, further comprising:

logic for, in response to none of the routing tables containing a nodal pathway for the transport layer protocol and port number used by the data packet, setting all of the TOS bits to a default value.

12. The router of claim 8, farther comprising:

logic for identifying an application that is using the data packet; and

logic for associating the application with one of the different transport layer protocols.

13. The router of claim 12, wherein the application is for a voice flow, and wherein the application uses UDP plus a Real Time Protocol (RTP) for the voice flow.

14. The router of claim 12, wherein the application is for a data flow, and wherein the application uses TCP plus File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for the data flow.